The Riveras Episode 1 - July: An Island Adventure
by J-R Virtual Seasons
Summary: July 1999: The Riveras are visiting a relative on the island of Cozumel, but this time Eduardo is taking Kylie along. She is determined not to interfere with the family fun, so she shows Beth a new perspective while Carl, Eduardo and Kevin embark on an eventful day out.
1. Chapter 1

Eduardo and Kylie were emerging from a convenience store in an off-white airport, each carrying hand luggage, and Kylie was throwing a bottle of cola down her throat as if her life depended on it.

'Still nervous, huh?' said Eduardo.

'Well, yeah,' said Kylie, 'but not so nervous that my throat is dry. Flying always does that to me – even when I _don't_ have to land the plane myself!'

'Don't be nervous, okay? Adela's real nice.'

'It's easy to say that when you know her. I'm sure I'll be fine once I've actually met her. But then there's still the other three.'

'But you've met them.'

'I know I've met them,' said Kylie. 'But I've never been on a family vacation with them, have I? I'll bet you and Carl are a nightmare on these trips.'

'I don't think we're _too_ bad. We'd better go find them, hadn't we?'

'I guess,' Kylie said, and they began walking. 'So remind me who exactly this woman is.'

'Just a cousin,' said Eduardo. 'Nothing complicated.'

'What kind of cousin?'

'She's my dad's first cousin. His mom and her dad were brother and sister. That specific enough?'

'Perfectly. She and your dad were close, weren't they? That's why you all like her so much.'

'Yeah well,' said Eduardo, 'he was an only child, and she's an only child, and they were about the same age. They just kind of got thrown together.'

'Uncle Eduardo – over here!' an adolescent voice called. Kevin was waving them over to the baggage claim area, and his parents were with him. Eduardo mooched over to the conveyor belt full of luggage, avoiding Carl's eye.

Beth gave Kylie a hug, and said, 'Sorry we didn't see you before the flight. We missed you at the layover as well – I was starting to worry you'd chickened out!'

'I'm no chicken, Beth,' Kylie said good-naturedly.

'Don't worry about Adela,' said Beth. 'She's always liked me.'

'Did she meet you in your Goth phase, by any chance?'

'Oh, that won't matter. Have you ever been to Mexico before, Kylie?'

'Well,' said Kylie, 'my mom took me to Cancún a couple times, but I guess that doesn't really count.'

'Why not?' said Carl. 'It's Mexico, isn't it?'

'Yeah,' said Kylie, 'but it's just a tourist trap. It's not the _real_ Mexico, is it?'

'Cozumel is a tourist trap too,' said Kevin. 'Especially San Miguel.'

'The waterfront is, anyway,' said Eduardo, appearing at Kylie's side with a holdall on each shoulder. 'But the farther back you go, the more "real" it gets.'

'And if you go out of San Miguel altogether,' said Carl, 'there's nothing.'

' _Almost_ nothing,' Beth added.

'I'd sort of like to see the almost nothing,' said Kylie.

'I'll show it to you,' said Eduardo, putting his arm around her as the party began to move on.

'I can carry my own luggage, you know,' said Kylie.

'The parking lot's right outside,' said Eduardo. 'It's not worth it.'

'Still too old to swim with dolphins, Kevin?' asked Beth.

'Yes,' Kevin said shortly.

'These guys never swim with the dolphins anymore,' Beth said to Kylie, distracting her from a fight with Eduardo over her holdall. 'I didn't get to try it until Eduardo learned how to swim.'

'Why not go by yourself?' asked Kylie, with a note of surprise in her voice.

'Oh, I can't do things like that by myself,' said Beth. 'And I'll never persuade Carl. Right, hon?'

'When I was a kid coming here,' said Carl, as they emerged into the airport car park, 'all I did was swim with those damn dolphins.'

'There she is!' Kevin announced, and trotted over to a middle-aged woman. She was waiting by a white people carrier with a red stripe along the side, and the word _Taxi_ printed above this. She smothered Kevin with hugs and kisses, then greeted Carl, Beth and Eduardo in turn in the same way. Finally she turned to Kylie, and shook her hand.

'You must be Kylie,' she said. 'Welcome to Cozumel. Eduardo, _ella es hermosa_! You must be very special, you know, Kylie.'

'Must I?' said Kylie, now seemingly trapped in the overlong handshake.

'Well, yes. He's never brought a girl here before.'

'Oh.'

'All right, Adela, enough,' Eduardo said, beginning to load the luggage into the taxi, while Adela at last dropped Kylie's hand. 'Waiting cabs cost money, right? _Gracias, señor_ ,' he added, as the taxi driver repositioned his holdall in the boot with a reproving look.

'You know I don't mind spending money on you, _querido_ ,' said Adela.

'We can talk at home,' Eduardo said pointedly, giving her a nudge towards the taxi.

'Does she live in the tourist trap,' Kylie asked Eduardo quietly, 'or the real Mexico? Um, _gracias, señor_ ,' she said inelegantly, as the taxi driver snatched her hand luggage from her.

'Kind of in the middle,' said Eduardo. 'Probably the best place to live around here, really.'

* * *

A short while later, in Adela's house, Kylie and Eduardo were struggling to fit themselves and their luggage into a room that was entirely taken up with a double bed, one small nightstand and a chest of drawers wedged between the wall and the foot of the bed.

'Mind if I take the drawer?' asked Kylie, kneeling on the end of the bed and opening the top drawer, which was the only accessible one.

'Go ahead,' said Eduardo. 'I never unpack anyway.'

Kylie turned to him with a smile of amusement. 'You never unpack?'

'Well, you only have to pack it all up again in a few days.'

'It's two weeks, sweetie. Or does Adela normally get sick of you and throw you out?'

'Not so far. But maybe now there's a girl in my room...'

He got onto all fours and stalked across the bed towards her, but whatever he was planning had to be postponed when Kevin ran in calling 'Uncle Eduardo!', tripped over a holdall and then sprang to his feet, saying, 'You brought the books, right?'

'Um, yeah,' said Eduardo, leaning over the edge of the bed to rummage in the holdall, and finally pulling out his copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_.

'How many times have you read that?' asked Kylie. 'Just out of interest – I'm not judging.'

'I don't know,' said Eduardo. 'But we have to read them again now to get ready for _The Prisoner of Azkaban_ – don't we, Kev?'

'I wish Adela lived in England,' said Kevin, with a heartfelt sigh. 'It's already out over there.'

'Have you ordered your copy from Amazon-dot-co-dot-uk?' asked Kylie.

'No point,' said Eduardo. 'It wouldn't get to us much before it comes out in the US in September.'

'Seriously?' said Kylie, suddenly sounding eager. 'It's out in September?'

'Yes,' said Kevin, 'which is why we need to hurry up and get these read! _Chamber of Secrets_ is in there too, isn't it? We've almost finished the first one.'

'Yes, Kevin, _Chamber of Secrets_ is in there too,' said Eduardo.

'Why don't you guys read some now?' said Kylie, sliding off the bed and picking her way over and around two holdalls, Kevin and the nightstand. 'I can unpack later.'

'Stay if you want,' said Eduardo. 'You need to remind yourself of the first two _Harry Potter_ books as well – probably more than we do.'

Kevin was already settling onto the mattress beside his uncle, and just for a moment he looked put out. Kylie noticed this.

'That's okay,' she said. 'There's no point just listening to the last few chapters. I'll borrow it when you're finished.'

She made her way out of the small bedroom, and found Adela in a spacious kitchen diner, where she had several pans on the stove and was setting the table.

'Hello,' said Adela. 'I'm making everyone dinner.'

'That's very kind of you,' said Kylie. 'Is there anything I can do to help?'

'No, _querida_ – sit down and relax,' said Adela, rather sternly, so Kylie meekly slid onto one of the dining chairs. Then there was a short silence.

'Well,' Adela said, 'this is nice... have a little talk about ladies' things. Just the two of us.'

'Yeah,' said Kylie. 'It's really nice of you to have me, Adela.'

'Well,' said Adela, busying herself at the stove, 'Beth used to come here before she and Carlos were married. I made them sleep in separate rooms, you know. It was longer ago, and their parents were here, and Eduardo was little enough to sleep in their room. But I don't have anywhere else to put you, so I have to let you live in sin. Sorry the bed is too big for the room.'

'I didn't really notice,' said Kylie. 'It's very comfortable in there.'

'You're too polite,' said Adela. 'And you know, I'm glad to have you, if you make Eduardo happy.'

'Well, I think I do.'

'I have no immediate family,' Adela went on, 'so I worry myself with Alberto's boys.'

'Does that mean I'm about to get the don't-hurt-him-or-I'll-kill-you speech?' Kylie asked, with a nervous laugh.

Adela laughed. 'Are you afraid of me, Kylie?'

'Well... no. Anyway, there's no need for you to kill me, because I won't hurt him. I love him enormously.'

'You are right to do so. Dinner is almost ready. Will you call Beth and the boys?'

'Eduardo and Kevin are reading _Harry Potter_ ,' said Kylie, in greatly serious tones.

Adela looked at her. 'Is this a sacred rite or something?'

'Well... kind of, yeah.'

'Then I will get them,' said Adela, dropping everything and turning a few dials on the stove. 'Call me if the kitchen catches fire and burns down the house.'

Kylie waited, obediently watching the pots and pans as they came dangerously close to boiling over, until Adela returned moments later with Carl, Beth, Eduardo and Kevin trailing behind her.

'Sit down, everyone, and tell me about your plans,' said Adela, as she began serving dinner. 'You'll have to amuse yourselves for a few days, because I have to work until the end of the week. In the summer, people start to want their puppies and kittens, um... _esterilizados y castrados_.'

'Spayed and neutered,' Eduardo supplied.

'Oh yeah,' said Kylie. 'Sterilised and castrated.'

'Spayed and neutered,' said Adela. 'I must remember that. I never hear about such things from English-speakers. And tomorrow I am seeing the cat of a good friend of mine. Bad luck. He has _cáncer de boca_. Can you translate that one, Kevin?'

'Um,' said Kevin, glancing uncomfortably at his father. 'Cancer...'

'...of the mouth?' Kylie finished for him, and Kevin concentrated hard on his food.

'How do you know that?' asked Eduardo.

'Well,' said Kylie, 'I happen to remember _bouche_ from my one semester of French, and it's so similar to Spanish. Apart from _maison_ and _casa_ ,' she added, smiling secretively at Eduardo.

'There you hear the similarities to English,' said Adela. 'Mansion, castle. It is interesting. But yes, Spanish is mostly very like French. You will be all right if you get lost here, Kylie.'

'I won't bother watching out for you, then,' Eduardo quipped.

'Here's what to say if you get lost,' said Kevin, grinning at Kylie. Then he put on a tragic expression and said, in plaintive tones, ' _Por favor! Quiero doctora Gaspar, por favor!_ '

'You're that well known, huh?' said Kylie to Adela.

'Of course not,' said Adela. 'I wish you knew more Spanish than that, Kevin. Why don't you let the boy learn, Carlos?'

'I thought you wanted to know what our plans were,' said Carl.

'What are they, hon?' asked Beth, and Kylie gave her a strange look.

'Well...' Carl began.

'We could go to San Gervasio,' said Kevin. 'We haven't been there in years!'

'You really want to go outside of the city?' Carl asked warily.

'Why not?' asked Kevin.

'It's safer for you near the waterfront,' said Carl. 'If you got lost too far back, I don't think you'd get far with _quiero doctora Gaspar_.'

'You mean if we somehow lost him before we got to all the English-speaking tour guides?' said Eduardo. 'The local people are just people, Carlos. Of course they'd help a lost kid.'

Carl scowled at him. 'You don't know what people can –'

'Why are we planning for Kevin to get lost?' Beth asked loudly.

'We're not,' said Kevin. 'Anyway, _you_ want to go to San Gervasio, Uncle Eddie, don't you?'

'Er, yeah, sure,' said Eduardo. 'But not tomorrow, Kev. I'm going somewhere with Kylie.'

'Oh,' said Kevin, and he started playing around with his food.

'We could go dolphin swimming,' said Beth.

'No!' said Carl and Kevin together.

'You guys are so mean,' said Kylie. 'I'll go dolphin swimming with you, Beth. I loved it when I did it in Cancún. We'll go the day after tomorrow, and you guys can go to San Gervasio.'

'You don't want to see San Gervasio?' asked Eduardo.

'I'll bet you saw Mayan remains in Cancún, didn't you, Kylie?' said Kevin, before she could answer for herself. 'They're all the same, really.'

'You're right, Kevin,' said Kylie. 'Whereas dolphins are living, breathing individuals. They'll be nothing like the ones in Cancún.'

Carl gave a sceptical snort. Kevin and Beth said nothing, but both looked rather pleased as they began to eat their dinners in earnest.

* * *

San Miguel was just beginning to stir the next morning as Eduardo and Kylie walked hand-in-hand along a street lined with palm trees and smooth, pastel-coloured buildings.

'I never thought you'd be waking me up as early as that,' said Kylie.

'Why not?' said Eduardo. 'I've done it before.'

'Yeah, but then we still didn't get out of bed for hours.'

'True. But we need the whole day for this.'

'For what? Where are you taking me, anyway? You know I don't like surprises.'

'This ain't a surprise,' said Eduardo. 'I'm gonna show you the island, like you wanted. Look, we're here,' and he gestured to a building just in front of them.

' _Scooters and car hire_ ,' Kylie read the lettering in the window, and then she laughed. 'Did we get up early in the hope no one's hired the car yet?'

'No,' chuckled Eduardo. 'I don't have a permit to drive a car here.'

'But you can drive a scooter?'

'Yeah, that'll be okay. It's way better than a car anyway.'

'Where will we scoot to?'

'Anywhere you want. You're in control.'

'No I'm not – you're driving.'

'Okay, well, I thought I'd take us all around the island,' said Eduardo. 'Well, as much as I can. The north-east doesn't have any road. But we can cut all across the middle to the east coast, and then all round and back up again to San Miguel. We'll go through a lot of the almost nothing that way.'

'Wow,' said Kylie. 'That sounds amazing.'

'The east coast is really beautiful. You'll love it.'

'Is it the real Mexico?'

'Well, they do rely on the tourist trade... it's the place to go if you want to buy a sombrero... but it's a lot more real than the west coast.'

'Great,' said Kylie. 'What are we waiting for? Let's do this!'

She nudged him towards the hire shop's entrance, and moments later a rickety old scooter came sputtering out onto the road. Both riders were wearing helmets, of course, and Kylie made sure of her safety by clinging tightly onto Eduardo with both arms and legs.

* * *

'When do you think they'll get back?' asked Kevin, who was lying on Adela's sofa and staring at the ceiling, swinging one arm in a gesture of idleness.

'Not for a long time, honey,' said Beth. 'I think they're hiring a scooter for the day.'

'Seriously?' said Carl. 'Those things are so dangerous – he's asking for trouble.'

'That's what your dad used to say when you took me all over the island on one,' said Beth.

'That's different. I'm not reckless and irresponsible. I spend all day driving a motorcycle at work.'

'Nice job,' said Kevin.

Carl frowned. 'Better than sitting on your butt all day. What do you want to do? I thought maybe we could hire a boat and go fishing.'

'I don't like fishing.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean I don't like fishing,' said Kevin. 'It's boring.'

'That's crazy,' said Carl. 'You enjoyed that stupid bat watching in Philadelphia – what could be more boring than that?'

'That was totally different,' said Kevin. 'Anyway, we were watching them in their natural habitat, not forcing them out of it.'

Carl scowled. 'What are you, some kind of –?'

'We could go to the sea lion show,' said Beth. 'You used to love that when you were little, honey.'

'I'm not little anymore, Mom,' Kevin said pointedly.

'What about the museum?' said Carl. 'You could learn about Mayans and all that stuff without even leaving the city.'

'Yeah, maybe,' said Kevin.

'We'll do that, then,' said Beth, injecting all the enthusiasm she could into her voice. 'Then maybe afterward we could just hang out on the beach. I'm still kind of tired from travelling yesterday.'

'You're getting old, Mom,' Kevin laughed.

'I'm not the one who hasn't moved since breakfast,' said Beth, grabbing Kevin's arm and hauling him to his feet. 'Ooh, you're getting heavy! Do you want to bring _Harry Potter_ for the beach?'

'Oh... no,' said Kevin. 'I'm reading that with Uncle Eduardo.'

* * *

Eduardo and Kylie were still out when it was getting dark. They sat side by side on an otherwise deserted sandy beach, and Kylie was wearing a sombrero.

'Too bad the sunset's on the other side,' said Eduardo.

'We could stay all night,' said Kylie, cuddling up to him, 'and watch the sunrise.'

'That could happen just because we have to wait. I really want you to see one.'

'How long does it take to really know you, anyway? This is just one more thing no one could ever guess about you.'

Eduardo shrugged, and said, 'It's just something I thought you'd like.'

'No big deal, huh?'

'Right.'

'What about San Gervasio?' Kylie asked.

'What about it?'

'I got the impression last night that it was kind of a big deal.'

'Not to me,' said Eduardo. 'Not really. But Kevin loves it, and Carlos wishes he didn't.'

'Why?'

'My grandmother always used to say that it was _the_ Mayan village where Captain Gaspar settled down and got our bloodline going with some native girl.'

'Oh,' said Kylie. 'So, what, you're not interested in your family history?'

'Yeah, kinda,' Eduardo shrugged, 'but I don't really believe that about San Gervasio.'

'Then why would your grandmother say it?'

'Because it's a nice idea. But there's Gaspars all over both the Americas now – they could have started anywhere. San Gervasio's nice, though, and I like Kevin being interested in that stuff.'

'Well then,' said Kylie, 'you won't be hurt that I'm not going.'

'Well...' said Eduardo.

'You mustn't be,' said Kylie. 'Kevin wants to spend time with you. _Without_ me.'

'Did he tell you that?'

'No, of course not – he's way too polite. But I can tell, and anyway, I want Beth to get her dolphin swim, if she really won't go alone.'

'You'd go alone, wouldn't you?'

'Of course I would, but she's not me. Hey, should we be being quiet?'

'I don't know,' said Eduardo. 'I've only ever done this by myself before.'

'That makes me feel very special, sweetie.'

'Okay, I know the answer to that one. You _are_ – I don't believe it!'

'What?' said Kylie.

'Look over there!'

She peered through the darkness to where he was pointing. The dim shape of a sea turtle was just visible on the shoreline. Kylie stared, took off the sombrero and rose slowly onto her knees for a better look. The turtle made her way awkwardly over several yards of sand, and then began to dig with her back flippers. After a time she stopped, waited a short while (of course her spectators couldn't see in detail what she was doing), then brushed the sand back over the hole she had made. When she had quite finished, she trundled back into the Caribbean Sea.

'Wow,' breathed Kylie. 'That was amazing.'

'I knew you'd like it,' Eduardo said, a little smugly. 'Lucky we didn't have to wait too long.'

'I'd wait here with you forever,' Kylie said dreamily, putting the sombrero back on her head. Then, with an abrupt change in tone, she asked, 'Is it okay if we're sitting on a nest?'

'I think so,' said Eduardo. 'We can always move if they feel like hatching tonight.'

'Will there be some hatching already?'

'Maybe. They lay hundreds of eggs, and they keep at it for months.'

'I hope none of them _will_ feel like hatching tonight,' said Kylie. 'I wouldn't want to see that.'

'No?'

'No, because about ninety percent of them get eaten before they even reach the water, don't they? Even now there must be _things_ lying in wait... all around us... lurking in the darkness...'

'I never thought of that,' said Eduardo. 'This feels kind of weird now.'

'Why?' Kylie laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 'They're not lying in wait for _us_.'

'Yeah, I guess. They're probably wishing we weren't here.'

'Then they can like it or lump it,' said Kylie, tipping back the wide brim of the sombrero as she moved in for a kiss. 'What say we, um... give them a show?'


	2. Chapter 2

Kevin pounced the moment Eduardo wandered into the living room the next morning. Carl and Beth were there too, both reading something and enjoying a cup of coffee.

'You said we could go to San Gervasio today,' said Kevin.

'Did I say that?' Eduardo asked sleepily.

'I think _I_ said it,' said Kylie, coming in behind him, looking tired as well. 'And Beth and I were going to pick up guys at the dolphinarium – weren't we, Beth?'

'We could put the dolphins off until tomorrow,' said Beth, 'if you're too tired.'

'I'm not too tired,' said Kylie. 'And Eduardo's not too tired either – are you, sweetie?'

'Um,' said Eduardo.

'It's boring spending the day with these guys, Uncle Eduardo,' Kevin whined. 'But... we don't have to go to San Gervasio if you're tired. We could just stay in and read _Harry Potter_ today.'

'I'm sorry, Kevin,' said Kylie. 'It's my fault for keeping him up all night.' Then she and Eduardo both sniggered.

'It's okay, Kev, we'll go today,' said Eduardo, once over his mirth. 'If it's okay with your dad.'

Carl, frowning, peered round from behind his newspaper. 'Do you really need me to go with you?'

'Well, yeah,' said Eduardo. 'We need you to drive.'

'You'd better hurry if you want to hire the car,' said Kylie, then once again she and Eduardo laughed mysteriously.

'You could take a tour bus or something,' said Carl, 'or hire a cab like Adela sometimes does. Beth and Kylie might want me to go with them. Don't you guys want an interpreter?' he asked, looking pleadingly from one to the other.

'You speak dolphin?' said Kylie. Then she subsided, sniggering, under a withering look from Carl.

'Almost everyone speaks English at the touristy places, hon,' said Beth. 'We'll be fine.'

'You'd only cramp our style,' Kylie added, with a facetious smile. 'Just give me ten minutes, Beth, and then we'll go.'

'How long do _you_ need?' said Carl, looking darkly at Eduardo.

'Just the time it takes to get a cup of coffee, Carlos.'

Eduardo made his way to the kitchen. Kevin followed him, leaving his parents to their boring reading material, but Carl did not return to his paper. He went to sit beside Beth on the sofa, saying quietly, 'Why is she in such a good mood this morning anyway?'

'Who, Kylie?' said Beth. 'Because she's young and in love. She spent all day and half the night being driven around a beautiful island on the back of a motorcycle by the guy she's crazy about.'

'The island's not _that_ beautiful,' said Carl. 'And it was only a scooter. And it was only Eddie.'

'Well, obviously she doesn't see him the same way you do, honey. Look, are you just in an awkward mood, or is there something in particular that's bothering you?'

'It's this conspiracy you and Adela have, to make me spend time with him,' said Carl. 'You always do it, every time we come here, and now I'm wondering if you've dragged Kylie into it as well.'

'I haven't dragged Kylie anywhere. I don't think I could if I tried, and neither could Adela.'

'So then why is she so keen on me going to San Gervasio?'

'I don't think that's it. I think she just doesn't want you tagging along with us today.'

'Oh,' said Carl. 'That's a bit rude.'

'I'm glad you're going to San Gervasio,' said Beth, smiling and patting his knee. 'You know I want you and Eduardo to work out your differences.'

'We've never been able to do that before. Why should it be any different in some Mayan village?'

'You never know. Maybe you'll both feel a connection to this Captain Gaspar character.'

'You know I don't believe he ever even set foot on this island,' said Carl. 'Yaya was so full of crap – the guy probably never even existed.'

'Well,' said Beth, 'you and Eduardo do at least have one thing in common: you both love Kevin. Try to give him a good day, will you?'

* * *

The hire car was very small, and Carl's bulk took up almost all of the space in the front. He sat hunched over the steering wheel, frowning and saying nothing. Kevin sat in the back of the car, fidgeting uncomfortably, while beside him Eduardo looked impassively out of the window.

At last they pulled into an area that was surrounded by trees and filled with cars, buses and a line of taxis. Carl, Kevin and Eduardo got out of their car and made their way to the white, thatched building that served as the ticket office. There were a few steps up to where a section of the building seemed to have been cut away, and people were queuing to get to a little window in the wall. When Carl reached this window, he made the transaction with a few curt words of Spanish, then shepherded Kevin outside. Eduardo followed them at a short distance.

The Mayan remains themselves were made of grey stone, forming the bare outlines of buildings and pathways, and surrounded by trees on all sides. Kevin happily trotted off to examine the ruins and read the information boards. He dragged Eduardo to some of the monuments, pointing and talking and making him take photographs. All the time, Carl hung back and looked unimpressed.

'Why does anyone need to see this stuff more than once?' he asked, when he found himself standing near Eduardo, and Kevin was some distance away.

Eduardo shrugged, and said, 'It's pretty nice out here.'

'I prefer New York. The buildings are mostly complete and still in use.'

'Y'know, you might find some of this stuff interesting if you tried. Like... you see _el Arco_ over there, where Kevin's going?'

'Yeah,' said Carl, watching as Kevin approached a rickety-looking archway of dark grey stone.

'That was used in religious ceremonies. Hundreds of years ago, the entire population of the village would've walked under that arch almost every day.'

'No they wouldn't – they never even saw it. I remember that being built when you were a little kid. It's a fake.'

'It's not a fake – it's a reconstruction.'

'Same thing. Hey, what the hell is Kevin doing? Kevin!'

Carl suddenly started sprinting along the stone pathway. The Arch was cordoned off, and Kevin was in the process of stepping over the tape. In the blink of an eye, Carl had grabbed hold of his son and pulled him back onto the right side of the law. Kevin was steadying himself on his feet when Eduardo joined them.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' Carl demanded.

'There's a baby turtle on the top of the Arch!' Kevin said urgently.

Carl frowned at him. 'There's a what?'

'He's right, Carlos,' said Eduardo, squinting up at the top of the seven-foot structure, where a tiny turtle was hobbling about on the stones within a tiny radius.

'How'd it get up _there_?' said Carl, staring in disbelief.

'Something dropped it there,' said Eduardo. 'It obviously got picked up by a bird after it hatched.'

'We have to save it!' said Kevin.

'What? No!' said Carl, grabbing his son's arm as he once again attempted to go to the turtle's rescue. 'It's probably injured, Kev. It won't last long, here or in the ocean.'

'We have to try!' said Kevin.

'No we don't,' said Carl. 'It'll never survive. Almost all of them get eaten in their first few days, even if they make it to the water. That's right, isn't it?' He looked to Eduardo for confirmation.

'Well, yeah,' said Eduardo, still looking at the baby turtle. 'I think so.'

'It's just nature, Kevin,' said Carl, as gently as he could manage.

'I don't care,' said Kevin. 'I know all that about baby sea turtles dying, but I have a chance to save that one, and I'm going to do it!'

'No you're not!'

'Let go of me!'

'I'll get it,' said Eduardo, and he stepped over the barrier.

'Are you crazy?' said Carl, whipping round to face him. 'You'll get us kicked out!'

'No one's watching,' said Eduardo.

'There's a big tour group right through those trees,' said Carl. 'It'll come through here any minute.'

'Good point, Dad,' said Kevin. 'I'll go keep them busy 'til you're done.'

Kevin sprinted off, and Eduardo began his ascent of the Arch. There were some stones accessible from ground level on the left of his approach, and from these he was able to scramble to the top of the structure, pulling himself up with his long limbs. Carl stood stiffly by, his eyes flitting between Eduardo and the gap in the trees through which he could see the tour group.

'So,' Kevin was saying to the tour guide, 'about how many people used to live in the village?'

'Carlos,' said Eduardo.

'Stop calling me that!' said Carl, glaring at him.

'Whatever.' Eduardo was now kneeling awkwardly on the Arch's apex, clutching the baby turtle in his hands. 'Can you please take this?'

'Are you kidding me?' said Carl.

'It won't bite or nothing – it's just a baby.'

'Can't you throw it to me or something?'

'No way! Come and take it.'

Carl sighed resignedly, gave one more look to the tour group and then stepped over the tape. When he reached the Arch, he held up his hands and Eduardo was able to place the turtle into them. The creature was pathetically small with a thin, rather flat shell, which was in contrast to its huge, blinking eyes and absurdly long front flippers. Carl hurried to get out of the forbidden zone, then looked distastefully at the flailing creature in his hands.

'How is it even still alive?' he said, as Eduardo joined him.

'It couldn't have been up there for long,' said Eduardo. 'Oh, look, it's bleeding.'

Carl looked, and saw that the left front flipper was wet with blood.

'You take it,' he said, bundling the turtle into Eduardo's hands, then wiping its blood on his trousers. 'This is exactly what I was afraid of. I said we should leave it there, but oh no – you had to go making yourself popular with my son. We both know that thing won't last a day in the ocean, and how's Kevin gonna feel if it dies in the car? You didn't think about that, did you? Of course not! You've got a hell of a lot to learn if you ever have –'

'It's not far to San Miguel,' said Eduardo. 'Let's take it to Adela.'

'You've gotta be kidding me.'

'I just climbed up onto that thing to get it. We're not letting it die.'

'Adela won't know anything about sea turtles.'

'Sure she will,' said Eduardo, as he caught Kevin's eye and waved him over.

'So you see,' the tour guide was saying, 'the family structure of the indigenous people –'

'Er, thanks,' said Kevin. Then he turned and ran to his father and uncle, demanding, 'Did you get it?'

'Yeah, I got it,' said Eduardo, and he passed the turtle into Kevin's tender hands. 'Let's go.'

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the west coast, Beth was swimming with dolphins. She and the other swimmers, both human and dolphin, were hemmed into a section of sea by wooden walkways and overlooked by a collection of thatched buildings. Kylie was sitting on a walkway with her feet in the water and a camera on a strap around her neck.

Beth laughed hysterically as a particularly lively young dolphin dived under the surface of the water, then popped up in front of her with a shrill cry, and opened its fins for a hug. Beth obliged, kissed the dolphin tenderly, and then swam over to Kylie.

'Are you bored?' Beth asked, leaning her arms on the walkway.

'Not at all,' said Kylie. 'Take your time. Hi, Pablo,' she added, giving the dolphin a pat on the nose as he surfaced in front of her and trilled a greeting.

'But you got sick of it ages ago,' said Beth.

'No, not really. It's nice to just sit and do nothing for a while.'

Beth hauled herself out of the water, sat down beside Kylie and said, 'I guess I'm _still_ the only one who likes swimming with dolphins.'

'No you're not,' said Kylie. 'Look at all these people loving it.'

Some yards away from them, an obnoxious American boy was treading water and shouting at some poor creature, 'Come on, splash me, you stupid dolphin!' Kylie and Beth watched as two uniformed officials ran to intervene.

'I enjoyed it,' said Kylie, turning away from the scene when it began to get ugly. 'I really did. And I'll always come with you, if I'm invited here again.'

'Oh, I'm sure you'll come here often,' said Beth, smiling. 'Eduardo's crazy about you. In fact, I feel kind of bad for dragging you here. You'd obviously rather spend time with him.'

'No one drags me anywhere, Beth,' said Kylie.

'Oh, yes... I guess I knew that. Anyway, I can't drag anybody anywhere. I sometimes seem to get dragged places myself, but I never get to drag anybody else.'

'You should learn to say no. Next time you're being dragged somewhere, remind... whoever it is... that he never goes dolphin swimming with you. Um, or she.'

'Oh, no, I don't think so,' said Beth. 'That kind of thing just causes arguments.'

'Is there anything else you're wanting to do?'

'Oh... no, nothing.'

'Beth, come on,' said Kylie. 'I really wanna know.'

'Well,' said Beth, 'I'd kind of like Carl to do with me what we used to do here fifteen years ago... the kind of thing you and Eduardo did yesterday... whatever that might be,' she added pointedly, when Kylie giggled. 'I don't know, because I was deliberately ignoring all that _double entendre_ before.'

'Sorry,' said Kylie, trying to calm herself.

'Don't apologise for being young and in love, Kylie.'

'Well, you're young and in love too. Have you told Carl how you feel?'

'I did try... well, I guess it was a few years ago now. But you've seen how he can be. He doesn't want to leave the city; he doesn't want to stay out too late; he doesn't want to drive a scooter...'

'Are you _sure_ you told him how you feel?' asked Kylie. 'I mean, how you _really_ feel?'

'Don't worry about me, Kylie,' said Beth. 'I don't feel all that strongly about it. Let's go get something to eat. Those official-looking people are glaring at us because we're not swimming.'

* * *

The hire car pulled up outside a small building which had the smiling faces of a cartoon cat and dog pasted onto the window.

'This place is such a dive,' said Carl, as he got out of the car. 'Why doesn't she get a job in that nice, big, relatively clean animal hospital?'

'Because she thinks that place is impersonal,' said Eduardo, 'and she likes being her own boss.'

'Too bad her business could go under at any minute,' said Carl. 'How's the turtle doing, Kevin?'

'Okay,' said Kevin, still clutching the flapping turtle in both hands. 'It's still alive, anyway.'

Eduardo led the way into the building, and spoke in Spanish to a young woman at the reception desk. As they were talking, a middle-aged man came out of the back room with a cat carrier in his hands and tears in his eyes. He put the cat carrier on a chair, then went to stand behind Eduardo until the young woman had finished with him. This did not take long.

'Garbiñe says we can wait until Adela finishes cleaning up,' Eduardo said to Carl and Kevin, 'and then we can ask her if she'll see us.'

'Of course she'll see us,' said Kevin. 'No one else is waiting.'

As he spoke, a small boy came in carrying a large hamster cage, with his mother just behind him. They sat down in the waiting area, the boy keeping the cage on his lap. Carl, Eduardo and Kevin decided to sit down as well. The boy behind the hamster cage looked at the turtle with interest.

When the crying man had left with his cat carrier, the receptionist looked at Eduardo, and said, ' _Qué se necesita agua... o alimentos?_ '

' _No lo sé,_ ' Eduardo said helplessly. He looked at Kevin. 'Garbiñe wants to know if the turtle needs food or water.'

'I don't know,' said Kevin. 'What does it even eat?'

'Almost anything,' said Garbiñe. 'The young ones are, um... _omnívoro_. When they grow, they eat only plants, but that one could perhaps eat the dead spider up there.' She pointed to a corner of the ceiling, where a spider was hanging from a droopy web with its legs curled under it.

'Don't you ever clean in here?' asked Carl.

'Every day,' Garbiñe said tartly. 'And where animals are treated is cleaned every ten minutes or so.'

'Adela!' said Kevin, jumping to his feet as the door to the back room opened. 'You have to help us! It's a turtle emergency!'

'A what?' said Adela, startled. Then she noticed the baby turtle in Kevin's hands, and took it from him, looking puzzled. 'Where did you get this, _queridito_?'

'San Gervasio,' said Kevin. 'It was on the top of the Arch.'

'I see,' said Adela. 'Well, Kevin, the next appointment is for this boy's hamster...'

' _Esta bien,_ ' said the boy, peering round from behind his hamster cage. ' _Salvar a la tortuga._ '

'He says we can see to your turtle first, Kevin,' said Adela. ' _Gracias_ , _Rafa._ '

'Yeah,' said Kevin, looking at the boy. ' _Gracias._ '

Rafa beamed at him.

'We were wondering whether to feed to it that spider,' said Garbiñe.

'It can't hurt,' said Adela, shepherding Kevin through to the back. Eduardo and Carl followed, while Garbiñe went to the spider corner and climbed up onto a chair.

'What's wrong with the hamster?' asked Kevin, as Adela shut the door behind them.

'He has an abscess,' said Adela. 'He can wait. Put your turtle on the table please, Kevin.'

'Do you know anything about sea turtles, Adela?' Carl asked dubiously.

'I didn't study them much at vet school,' said Adela, frowning down at her patient, 'but I think she will be all right. It looks as if some stupid bird has picked her up by the fin and lost its grip.'

'How can you tell it's a girl?' asked Kevin.

'I can't for sure,' said Adela, 'but they usually are girls at this time of the year, because the nest is hot. Sand temperature decides the sex, you see?'

There came a knock at the door, and then Garbiñe popped her head into the room, saying, ' _La araña. Y..._ ' she went on, glancing at Kevin, 'señora Muguruza offers to fetch seawater. _Debería?_ '

' _Sí,_ ' said Adela, taking the spider. ' _Gracias,_ Garbiñe. Now then.' She made her way back to the examination table. 'I need to look at that wound. At the very least I think it needs disinfectant. She will not like that, so I will give her a little injection to asleep the fin.'

'Is that safe for a newborn baby?' Kevin asked anxiously.

'It will be little, very little, my dear. See if you can get her to eat this, and I shall prepare.' She dropped the dead spider into Kevin's hand. 'Now, don't worry, _queridito_. I am determined not to lose another patient today.'

'What went wrong the last time?' asked Carl.

'The fault is not mine, Carlos,' said Adela, as she began busying herself with bottles and syringes and pipettes. 'It is cruel nature. Did you see that poor man with his cat? It is dead. That was the cat with the cancer. He was old, and the lump under his tongue had grown bigger, so that poor man made the unselfish decision to put the cat down because he could not eat. If I cut out the cancer, then the lower jaw must go with it. The cat would need to be fed by hand and come here constantly for examination. He would not like that.'

'Don't tell Kylie about it,' said Eduardo. 'She's worried enough about Pagan as it is.'

* * *

'Poor Pagan,' Kylie was saying into Adela's telephone, some time later, when Carl and Eduardo came in carrying a large, full fish tank between them. 'Better give him something extra special, to make him better. I think there's some chopped liver in the freezer... Okay, thanks, Roland. Bye.'

She hung up, and went to see what the fish tank was all about. Carl had already disappeared, and Eduardo was trying to hold the tank steady whilst moving aside stationery and board games and a bamboo fruit bowl to make room for the tank on the sideboard.

'What the hell is this?' asked Kylie, taking some of the weight of the tank and staring at its contents.

'A baby sea turtle,' said Eduardo.

'Okay, stupid question. Oh my God – how cute is it?'

'She.'

'Oh? How can you tell?'

'Just an educated guess,' Eduardo said airily. 'Sex is determined by sand temperature.'

'Well, yeah,' said Kylie. 'If it was too hot, you'd burn your butt.'

They laughed hysterically, still trying to secure the fish tank, which of course made the whole thing even more hilarious. Eventually, the turtle was safe on top of the sideboard. Her wound had now been bandaged, and the water tank supplied with seaweed and a layer of sand.

'Is Pagan okay?' Eduardo asked.

'Just missing me,' said Kylie. 'Roland says he keeps staring at the door and yowling.'

'I don't blame him,' said Eduardo, putting his arms around Kylie and pulling her close to him. 'I'd miss you like crazy if you went away for two weeks.'

'And left Roland to take care of you?'

'Well, I'd trust Roland to take very good care of me.'

Kylie giggled and wrapped her arms around him as he stooped to nuzzle her neck.

'You still have sand in your hair,' she remarked. 'You should've worn a hat, like me.'

'I'll never look at a sombrero the same way again,' Eduardo grinned. 'Will you come out with me again tonight, _querida_?'

'Hmm... maybe. Where to?'

'Anywhere you want. What do you feel like?'

'The same kind of thing, I guess,' Kylie said mischievously, playing with his collar, 'but maybe somewhere a little more original this time.'

'Oh yeah?' said Eduardo. 'You're calling me unoriginal?'

'No. Not yet. I'm waiting to see what you come up with tonight.'

'Hey, I came up with a freaking mommy sea turtle on that beach! The sex was your idea.'

'Shut up and kiss me.'

* * *

Not far away, Beth closed her bedroom door on the sounds of love and laughter. Carl was in the room, sitting on the bed and reading something colourful.

'Hi, hon,' said Beth.

'Hey,' said Carl, not looking up. 'I'm looking at some tourist brochures. I never really picked one up before. I should've – there's lots of stuff in here. Does Kevin like scuba diving?'

'Maybe,' said Beth, climbing onto the bed next to him. 'He's never tried it.'

'A lot of this stuff seems to involve learning how to scuba dive... sounds like a hassle. Maybe it's not such a good idea anyway. If Kevin went into the sea, he'd probably find more animals to rescue.'

'Well, maybe not. I'm glad you let him do that, honey.'

'They ganged up on me,' said Carl. 'They were lucky it didn't die. It still could, you know. They're not pets, so Adela's only making educated guesses. Anyway, it's time Kevin grew out of that kind of thing. Most boys his age who found an injured turtle on a Mayan reconstruction would have thrown a rock at it.'

'Well then,' said Beth, 'it's a very good thing we're not _their_ parents.'

'Yeah, I guess so,' said Carl, putting down his brochure at last. 'I didn't mean... oh, I don't know what I meant.'

'You just didn't want him to learn the hard way,' said Beth, smiling and cuddling up to him. 'I know there's a heart of gold in there, hon.' She paused a moment, then went on shyly, 'Carl, do you, um... remember when we hired a car and drove through El Cedral, all the way to the end of that road which went absolutely nowhere?'

'Yeah, I do,' said Carl. 'Kind of. Why did we do a fool thing like that?'

'Because we thought it'd be romantic. Because we spurned all the touristy stuff and did what our hearts told us.'

'We spent hours there, didn't we? What the hell did we do for all that time?'

'All kinds of things. We talked... we watched the sunset... we made love in the back of the car...'

'We did?' said Carl in astonishment. 'I don't think you're really supposed to do that in a hire car.'

'But we didn't care – don't you see?' said Beth. 'Carl, couldn't we... I don't know... do something like that again? Just for old times' sake.'

'Beth, come on, we're adults. We're old enough to know that it doesn't mean any less if you do that kind of thing someplace sensible.'

'You mean in a double bed... like this one?'

'Well... the walls are kind of thin here, honey,' said Carl, picking up his tourist brochure again.

* * *

The days went by; Carl, Kevin and Beth took some scuba diving lessons; Adela took her guests to various eateries and local attractions; many chapters of _Harry Potter_ were read during periods when Eduardo was not off with Kylie on some outrageous romantic adventure. Then, one day, the baby sea turtle was deemed ready to be released into the wild. A large car was acquired for this purpose, and there was almost room for everybody to sit comfortably inside it.

'I think you'd better go front middle, Kylie,' Adela said, as they were working out the logistics, 'because you're small.'

Kylie obediently took up this position beside Carl, who was in the driving seat. Adela sat on Kylie's other side while Eduardo, Beth, Kevin and the baby turtle squeezed into the back.

'Perfect,' said Adela, as Carl started up the engine.

'Not really,' said Carl, beginning to drive. 'Why did we _all_ have to come?'

'Because we all want to see Donatella going home,' said Kylie. 'It'll be fun, Carl. Lighten up!'

'I could've stayed home if just _one_ of you had a permit to drive out here,' Carl mumbled. 'Why don't you get your licence, Adela?'

'Don't be ridiculous, Carlos,' said Adela. 'I live on a tiny island, and I've gone my whole life without driving. I don't intend to start now.'

'I think I'll get a permit for next time, Carl,' said Eduardo. 'Some places here you really need a car for.' He caught Kylie's eye in the rear view mirror, and they both giggled stupidly.

'Or why not use a taxi, Adela?' Carl asked loudly, to drown them out. 'That's what you usually do.'

'I don't want anyone to see us with our friend Donatella,' said Adela. 'We might be accused of nest robbing, and that leads to trouble.'

'I don't think we're really supposed to have loose animals in a hire car,' said Carl.

'Can we do _anything_ in a hire car?' said Beth. 'Is it okay if we breathe – can we breathe?'

Carl didn't answer, and the journey continued in silence until Adela directed the disgruntled driver to pull up on a deserted stretch of beach. He did so, but lamented as he got out of the car, 'This isn't a designated parking spot.'

' _Deja de quejarte,_ ' Adela said sharply, getting out of the car at the same time as Kevin. She turned to him. 'All right now, _queridito_ , we'd better let her walk across the sand so we don't hurt her instincts for the future. Nothing will come for her while we're here. Take her to, shall we say... that rock there, see?'

'Something'll probably get it in the water,' Carl muttered, but only when Kevin was out of earshot. 'What a waste of time.'

'I'm with Adela, Carlos,' said Eduardo, who was watching the scene with his chin on Kylie's head and his arms around her waist. 'Quit complaining.'

'Will she come back here to breed?' asked Kylie. 'You know, like salmon and frogs and stuff do.'

'Maybe,' said Adela. 'They don't have a homing instinct like you mean, but she'll stay in the area, and she might well come back here to lay.'

'If it lives,' said Carl. 'And if it's really a girl.'

'Of course she'll live,' said Beth, smiling as Kevin crouched down to give the turtle her freedom.

'How long before she's fully mature?' asked Kylie.

'A surprisingly long time,' said Adela. 'Decades, even. If she ever does come back here, Kylie, you will be a middle-aged woman.'

'Cool,' said Kylie, angling her head awkwardly so she could smile up at Eduardo. 'I hope we'll see her again someday.'


End file.
